Thursday, November 20, 2008

An Interview with Angel Martinez and A Drawing for Two Movie Tickets!

Welcome Angel Martinez to my blog today!

Alisha: Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? Favorite memories?

Angel: People probably expect harrowing childhood stories from writers. I’m sorry, I have none. One brother, one sister, they both turned out well. My parents are both loving, wonderful people, both still with us, still married (to each other) and never let us feel deprived. We had a comfy house, pets, help with our paper routes. Not at all exciting, I’ll admit, but there’s something to be said for a normal, happy childhood.

One of my favorite memories comes from when I was six and had pneumonia. While feeling like I had an elk sitting on my chest was not fun, I remember my father trying all sorts of things to entertain me. One Saturday afternoon he brought the radio into my bedroom and sat with me while we listened to Don Giovanni. Yes, the whole opera. A six year old should have been bored? Well, yes, but Dad stayed and explained the action and acted things out with spoons and coasters. I don’t think I’ve seen a more interesting production since.

Alisha: That is a PRECIOUS memory! Tell us about the hero and heroine in your latest release.

Angel: My last release is a collection of short stories, so there are eight hero/heroine pairs. * Meara is a young farm girl who discovers her mischievous night visitor is a handsome pooka.* Aphrodite, yes, the goddess of love herself, decides maybe her affair with the self-centered Ares is a mistake. When she fights to save her marriage, she finds there’s much more to her reclusive husband, Hephaestus, than she had thought.* Vitez serves the mysterious Itsuka, guarding her back in her fight against demons and satisfying her appetites* Zilar, fostered by Amazons but made to feel awkward and ugly beside the pretty, dainty native boys, is given in marriage to General Azeria, several years his senior. * Poor Lucifer, his mom’s moved in with him and life in Hell will never be the same* Beautiful, brooding Selena has a degenerative blood disorder the doctors can’t diagnose. Alex, her heroically strong boyfriend, has some tough decisions to make when he realizes the true nature of her condition.* Naïve, sweet Cedric’s been told he’s too young to be a knight but he’s determined to rescue the princess anyway. Too bad she has other ideas.* And last but certainly not least we have Sylvia whose world came apart at the seams when her beloved husband died. It’s been years, she’s been told she needs to stop living like a shut in. But when she goes to a brothel staffed entirely by men, the one she selects for the evening turns out to be more than she bargained for.

Alisha: Wow! Sounds like a load of wonderful stories. Okay, now I'm wondering about Lucifer. Don't think I've ever read a fictionalized account of the horned one..snicker. Very interesting! If you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

Angel: Now, see, anyone who reads or writes SF/Fantasy knows how dangerous wishes can be. I’d love to wish for an end to disease and war but those wishes would probably come with some dreadful price. The end of the human race, perhaps, in order to end war, or something equally dire. I could wish to manipulate time but that, as we all know, could have bizarre and unforeseen consequences. Butterfly effect and all that.

So I’ll keep it simple.1. A good night’s sleep2. A better *&^%$%^ desk chair3. Good quality, low cost health care

Oh, wait, I don’t think even a genie can conjure up that last one.

Alisha: Are you psychic? Those are my wishes too! If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

Angel: Anywhere? Oh, dear, that’s a lot of choices. Molokai, no, wait, Lhasa…or maybe Gabon or Tokyo. Or if it doesn’t have to be on Earth, or even real, how about Pern?

Seriously, I do love to travel and there are several destinations on my short list. Our next jaunt will be to China (I’m so excited!) to see my sister in Chengdu.

Alisha: Please promise me you'll come back and give us all the details! If you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

Angel: I would like to have a chat with Mary Shelley (yes, the author of Frankenstein.) She was also an essayist and way ahead of her time in the areas of women’s rights and education. Not to mention the fact that maybe she’d have a couple of drinks with me and let a few choice tidbits slip out about her husband and Lord Byron and what really happened and so on.

Alisha: I'd love to hear that conversation! What word or phrase tingles in all the right places for you?

Angel: ‘Chocolate. Or more specifically ‘would you like some chocolate?’ I do love words, though, the sounds and feel of them on the tongue. ‘Sensual’ ‘Cinnamon’ “Carapace” ‘Tungsten’ Actually, if you pay close attention to the position and movement of your lips and tongue during a lot of words, you’ll find them more sensually satisfying than you realized.

Alisha: Very good point. If you had one day to spoil yourself, what would you do?

Angel: Read. I no longer have any time to read. Erg.

Alisha: Me either. Isn't it strange? We've become writers and we were all once avid readers. It's almost as if we had to give up reading and trade it for writing. I miss it too. If you could change one incident in your life, what would it be and how would you change it?

Angel: Back when I was young and stupid, I was engaged to someone who was perhaps not the best for me. Foolish as I was, I believed we would spend our lives together and so on and didn’t want to be separated from him. So I didn’t apply to graduate school when all my roommates and friends did. Would it have made a huge difference in my life? I’ll never know. But if I had it to do again, I wouldn’t be so silly and short-sighted.

Alisha: I made a very similar bad choice. We live and learn and I truly believe we are right where we're supposed to be at this moment. What’s the sexiest thing a man has ever done for you or said to you or both?

Angel: You’ll either laugh or cringe in distaste. He sucked on my toes. I know, I know, maybe not the first thing that would occur to most people but the simple fact that he put aside his usually fastidious nature and did it was very sexy.

Alisha: Okay, now ALL OF YOU OUT THERE...SHUT UP.....DON'T LAUGH! I had this old boyfriend that did the very same thing for me. Sounds gross. I know but I have very clean, pedicured feet...lol.....and I agree Angel...it is ULTRA HOTTTTTTTTT! I'm not laughing or cringing! Now I beg my husband to do it...snicker. Are all of my blog buddies now puking? Don't! Go try it. With clean feet..fresh from the bubble bath. Purrrrrrrr! Report back to me! I'll blog about fetishes...lol! This is a WONDERFUL one!

CONTEST: Leave a comment today for Angel and you'll be entered to win two Regal Cinema tickets. (Good in the U.S. only) If you're not in the U.S., leave a comment too and if I draw you're name, I'll give you a download, your choice of one of my books. I'll then draw again for a U.S. resident.

He cursed as his feet slipped on the moss-covered tower wall again. He'd been so proud to have hooked the balcony with his second toss, but that had been the easy part. Scaling walls looked so simple in storybooks. Everything was so damn wet and cold, and he discovered an unknown fear of heights at the halfway point.

"There! On the tower!"

"Shoot him down, you fools!"

The shouts drifted up from the battlements far below. Cedric shuddered. Even in the dark, a stray arrow...

The hard shock of a crossbow bolt slamming into his shoulder almost knocked him from his rope. The plate, he very much hoped, would save the shoulder. He didn't think it had penetrated, but the muscle shrieked in agony. He swarmed up the rope and rolled with a clatter of steel over the railing of the balcony. Amazing what a little pain and panic can do.

The most beautiful girl he had ever seen stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. At least he believed so. It proved impossible to remove his eyes from the puckered buds of her nipples pressed against the gauzy nightgown.

"Who the hell are you?" the nipples, er, princess asked.

Cedric dropped to one knee, wondering why the tower swayed. The wind wasn't that strong. "M'lady, I am Sir Cedric and I've come to rescue you."

"Sir Cedric? You don't even look old enough to carry a knight's shield, much less win your spurs."

A soft, melodious laugh drifted to him. While a beautiful laugh, he didn't think this was the proper maiden-in-distress response.

"Mayhap I've not yet won them, M'lady." He tried on his best stern voice to recover his dignity. "Nevertheless, I am here to save you from your plight and escort you home."

Princess Rowena laughed so hard, she needed the doorframe for support. She turned and walked back inside, still chuckling. "Oh, for heaven's sake, at least have the sense to come in out of the rain."

Puzzled and more than a little hurt by this less than grateful reception, Cedric staggered up and got as far as the edge of the woolen rug before his knees gave out. "If you would, highness—give me a moment to catch my breath."

"Look, you're in no shape to get yourself back down. You sure can't carry me as well. Not that I'd go out on a night like this to climb down a slick, slimy wall anyway."

"But, M'lady, your honor and virtue are in danger here! The lord who kidnapped you—"

"You've no idea how this works, do you?" She leaned down to peer into his eyes.

Cedric felt his face burn at the magnetic attraction her swinging breasts, in full view as she bent over, had for his eyes.

He shook his head, having forgotten how to spell his own name. Every movement of her graceful form conjured symphonies for him, and his mouth dropped open as she sauntered over to a nearby armchair, her full hips swaying in time to his pounding heart. Her hair spilled down her back. Such thick, perfect waves could only be spun gold. Or honey. Though he supposed one couldn't truly spin honey.

Jeremy leaned into her touch, eyes closed. She had paid for his time and his concern, but even purchased compassion might bring some relief. He echoed her gesture, long fingers smoothing a strand of hair back from her cheek, not a hesitant touch but soft as new grass. Her fingers slid behind his head, pulled him to her. A sudden ache sparked deep in her belly. She was ready to devour his mouth but he resisted the tug of her fingers.His kisses met the side of her mouth in whisper light caresses, easing towards her lips with deliberation.When she finally had what she wanted, his full lips pressing and circling hers, he slid his arms around her. Her tongue teased at the seam of his mouth, pleading for entry. He pulled her off the chair into his lap, his muscular thighs hard beneath her."You have such beautiful eyes.""I'd rather you didn't lie to please me, Jeremy."He pulled back to look at her. "They are beautiful. So dark and deep. Like cauldrons of the best chocolate.""Do they make chocolate in cauldrons?"Jeremy laughed, a musical rumbling deep in his chest. "I've no idea. Would you like one?""One what? Oh, the box you brought. Are you hungry?""I'm getting there." He lifted her back to the chair and rose to retrieve the box. "There are some things in the nightstand drawers if you happen to be interested. Want to take a look while I wrestle with the plastic wrap?"She watched him walk away. Black denim hugged his thighs and backside and she thrilled to the slide of his muscles under the white shirt. With a soft hum, she sauntered to the bedside to hunt through the drawers. The 'things' Jeremy mentioned ran the gamut of sensible, quality condoms lined up in a mahogany jewelry box, to esoteric, illustrated best by a leather device of two small, studded bands with snap closures connected by a short strap.She pulled out the whole condom case. A pair of sheepskin-lined handcuffs followed and two lengths of cotton cord."Dammit," she whispered."Everything all right?" Jeremy placed the open box of chocolates on the bed and brushed his lips against her ear. "Yes...no...I feel so silly. Asking you to do the things he liked.""Are they things you like?""Well, yes.""Then please don't feel silly. What do you want me to do?"She felt the tips of her ears burn. "Strip for me?"Teeth white as sea foam flashed when he smiled. "With pleasure."In graceful, languid movements, he tugged his shirttails from his jeans and unbuttoned his cuffs. He never glanced at his hands; his eyes remained locked on her. One button at a time, he teased each from its eyelet, the slow reveal of smooth pectorals speeding Sylvia's heartbeat. A gold nipple ring glinted as he slid out of the shirt and Sylvia's resistance crumbled. She reached out and traced the hoop, so enticing against his toasted almond nipple. "Doesn't it hurt?""At first, but no more than getting your ears done. You can tug on it. Just please don't yank." She took the ring between thumb and forefinger and gave a gentle pull. Jeremy shivered, one hand gripped around her elbow."Too hard?" Sylvia whispered.Jeremy undid the button on his jeans. "Oh, no. Sends a rush right down to my toes."

Okay. I'm ready now. What a fantastic interview, Angel. And you've completely sold me, I'm going to download the book as soon as I finish typing this. I really want to know how Lucifer reacts to his mother moving in. hehehe.

I will not give up my need to read. It is what has started my desire to write, and if I give it up perhaps my muse will fade. I really don't think that will happen, but I'm not going to tempt fate.

Don't forget to check out my charity book for children, Tennessee. 100% of proceeds go to gifting books to the Children of our Fallen Warriors at Snowball Express in December. Visit Tennessee's website at http://tennesseethetherapycat.weebly.com!